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Arne Slot will not speak to the media on Tuesday ahead of the midweek Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace.
While managers and head coaches are contractually obligated to conduct pre-match press conferences before games in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, that is not the case for Carabao Cup matches.
Liverpool has, therefore, opted not to arrange one for Tuesday, as was the case ahead of the previous round against Southampton. On that occasion, the Reds had also sent a delegation to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony that evening, which included Slot and his coaching team.
It’s not uncommon for clubs to opt against Carabao Cup press conferences. Liverpool’s north-west rivals Everton, Manchester United, and Manchester City typically don’t bother.
In the past, Jurgen Klopp often sent his assistant Pepijn Lijnders to address questions from journalists.
However, Slot last season held a pre-match press conference before all six Carabao Cup matches. Liverpool beat West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur en route to the final.
The Reds lost 2-1 at Wembley to Newcastle United, denying Slot his first piece of silverware as Liverpool boss.
However, he did win the Premier League a few months later, and Liverpool will face FA Cup holders Palace on Wednesday in the last-16.
Victory for either side would be a welcome boost amid a poor run of form. Palace has lost three of the last four games, while Liverpool has been beaten in five of its last six in all competitions.
The decision not to host a press conference means Slot will not be able to share his verdict on Liverpool’s recent run of results, now that the dust has settled on the weekend defeat against Brentford.
He will also not provide an injury update on Curtis Jones, who hobbled off with an injury in the second half. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak missed the defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium and could be back for Wednesday’s encounter against the Eagles.
Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong, and Giovanni Leoni are set to miss out through injury.
It’s understood a Liverpool player will speak to the media ahead of the Palace game, but not Slot.
This will be the third time that the two clubs have met this season, after Oliver Glasner’s side won on penalties in August’s Community Shield. Palace then began Liverpool’s current sequence of Premier League defeats when it beat the Reds 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
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